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This is kind of interesting. Most Christians are more like Pharisees, but there are some differences between the various denominations. Evangelicals are more Christ-like in deeds while other brands of Christianity are more Christ-like in attitude.
That's weird that some of these Christian's attitudes are not Jesus-like but their actions are. Other than that, 14% Christians being Jesus-like is not what I expected, since I don't see many mountains flying or hobble preaching and performing petty charity/party/power miracles. and what about those Christians that are simply acting as the Pharasee "convert" Paul told them? Wouldnt they be excused for their Pharasee behavior, Paul said he was Christian, why would Jesus allow him or Joseph Smith to say that? Who did this project anyway? What is the evidence that he/she knows what Jesus' attitudes and actions were?
Pretty little balls and lines. Did somebody just make this up or is there real science behind it. Real science in that someone studied two or three billion people for several months and observed how they acted in real life?
I do like the color of the background and the use of black and white on the lines.
I will try to keep my comment relatively brief, becaues I think there is a lot that could be said here.
First, I don't know that this type of scientific reductionism can be applied to one's faith. I see the intent here, but I think the issue is far too complex for a 20-question survey. Based on the article you linked, those who conducted the survey were quick to admit that it had its shortcomings. In my mind, those shortcomings are probably severe enough to make the whole exercise pointless.
Second, and related to the first point, is that the questions and their relative "Christlike" or "Pharisee-like" assignments are very much a product of the values of those conducting the survey. A perfect example would be the question "I avoid spending time with people who are openly gay or lesbian." An affirmative to this question would be rated by the conductors of the survey as being "Pharisee-like." And while I am not saying that I agree with this, I think there are Christians who would counter that they are (at least in some cases) following the instructions given in 1 Corinthians 5:11 (NIV) "But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral..." Does that make them "Pharisee-like"? Maybe...but I'm not certain enough of this that I would put a numeric score on it.
[Side-note: taken in context, it is clear that 1 Corinthians 5 is talking about those among the Christian fellowship, not those outside of it. I don't want to misrepresent the facts here.]
All of that said, I do think there are many Christians in the world who are more like the Pharisees than they are like Christ, and I strongly and actively oppose much of the treatment that the homosexual community has received from the "Christian right." I'm just not so sure that such an issue can be effectively graphed.
All of this reminds me of the of powerful quote by Mahatma Gandhi, which I often think about: "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
From the link provided to the study I found the following questionable methodology. Part of the survey was designed to measure Christ-likeness and Pharisee-likeness. Even the designer(s) admitted,
Quote:
Obviously, survey research, by itself, cannot fully measure someone’s ‘Christ-likeness’ or ‘Pharisee-likeness.’
Quote:
But the study is meant to identify baseline qualities of Jesus, like empathy, love, and a desire to share faith with others-or the resistance to such ideals in the form of self-focused hypocrisy.
Attitudinal and affective surveys are tricky. The Barna Group are well established pros though. My main concerns are that it was a telephone interview survey which poses problems on several levels. Also, some of the questions. I'm not going to analyze each question, but the word choice and question placement is interesting. I'm not convinced they entirely measure what they were designed to measure.
Actions like Jesus:
I listen to others to learn their story before telling them about my faith.
In recent years, I have influenced multiple people to consider following Christ.
I regularly choose to have meals with people with very different faith or morals from me.
I try to discover the needs of non-Christians rather than waiting for them to come to me.
I am personally spending time with non-believers to help them follow Jesus.
Attitudes like Jesus:
I see God-given value in every person, regardless of their past or present condition.
I believe God is for everyone.
I see God working in people’s lives, even when they are not following him.
It is more important to help people know God is for them than to make sure they know they are sinners.
I feel compassion for people who are not following God and doing immoral things.
The 10 statements used to assess self-righteousness (like the Pharisees), included the following research items:
Self-Righteous Actions:
I tell others the most important thing in my life is following God’s rules.
I don’t talk about my sins or struggles. That’s between me and God.
I try to avoid spending time with people who are openly gay or lesbian.
I like to point out those who do not have the right theology or doctrine.
I prefer to serve people who attend my church rather than those outside the church.
Self-Righteous Attitudes:
I find it hard to be friends with people who seem to constantly do the wrong things.
It’s not my responsibility to help people who won’t help themselves.
I feel grateful to be a Christian when I see other people’s failures and flaws.
I believe we should stand against those who are opposed to Christian values.
People who follow God’s rules are better than those who do not.
I will try to keep my comment relatively brief, becaues I think there is a lot that could be said here.
First, I don't know that this type of scientific reductionism can be applied to one's faith. I see the intent here, but I think the issue is far too complex for a 20-question survey. Based on the article you linked, those who conducted the survey were quick to admit that it had its shortcomings. In my mind, those shortcomings are probably severe enough to make the whole exercise pointless.
Second, and related to the first point, is that the questions and their relative "Christlike" or "Pharisee-like" assignments are very much a product of the values of those conducting the survey. A perfect example would be the question "I avoid spending time with people who are openly gay or lesbian." An affirmative to this question would be rated by the conductors of the survey as being "Pharisee-like." And while I am not saying that I agree with this, I think there are Christians who would counter that they are (at least in some cases) following the instructions given in 1 Corinthians 5:11 (NIV) "But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral..." Does that make them "Pharisee-like"? Maybe...but I'm not certain enough of this that I would put a numeric score on it.
[Side-note: taken in context, it is clear that 1 Corinthians 5 is talking about those among the Christian fellowship, not those outside of it. I don't want to misrepresent the facts here.]
All of that said, I do think there are many Christians in the world who are more like the Pharisees than they are like Christ, and I strongly and actively oppose much of the treatment that the homosexual community has received from the "Christian right." I'm just not so sure that such an issue can be effectively graphed.
All of this reminds me of the of powerful quote by Mahatma Gandhi, which I often think about: "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
I agree with your assessment by and large. I think a couple of questions were evocative, and perhaps purposely so. I have particular issues with the Pharisee questions, for they don't seem to delineate or differentiate Christ likeness from Pharisee likeness clearly enough, at least not in my puny head. I though maybe I was seeing to much of myself and it bothered me, so it's reassuring to find I'm not alone.
I agree with your assessment by and large. I think a couple of questions were evocative, and perhaps purposely so. I have particular issues with the Pharisee questions, for they don't seem to delineate or differentiate Christ likeness from Pharisee likeness clearly enough, at least not in my puny head. I though maybe I was seeing to much of myself and it bothered me, so it's reassuring to find I'm not alone.
These inventories are developed painstakingly from hundreds of questions on multiple participants using various methodologies to reveal the ones most characteristic of the various attitudes and behaviors of interest. It is NOT done by "what it seems to be asking" or "what it seems to be delineating." The degree of scientific rigor invested in developing these inventories involves a great deal of psychological insight into the actual (but usually hidden from self-perception) attitudes and behaviors of people. They would be useless if they were transparent. People would simply pick what they considered the ones that presented themselves in the best light. Having spent some 30+ years designing and developing such inventories . . . I can attest to their typical reliability and validity.
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